Rotary bar fastener for hinged doors



Jan. 16, 1951 E. H. LEHMAN ROTARY BAR FASTENER FOR HINGED DOORS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Jan. 19, 1948 Imven Lm: Edward H. Lehwzan.

Jan. 16, 1951 E. H..LEHMAN ROTARY BAR FASTENER FOR HINGED DOORS Filed Jan. 19, 1948 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Imfen/Zor:

Patented Jan. 16, 1951 UNITED- STATES PATENT" OFFICE ROTARY, BAR. FASTENER' FOR HINGED DOORS of Delaware Application January 19, 1948, Serial No. 3,095 I 3 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in door fasteners of the rotary bar type, especially adapted for doors of refrigerator cars and automobile trucks;

Themain' object of the invention is to provide a door fastener ofthe rotary bar type having keeper engaging crank arms at opposite ends provided with crank pins engageable with fixed slotted keepers, wherein the crank pins are outwardly tapered and the slots of the keepers are formed to interfit therewith, whereby the bar is locked against vertical displacement with respect to the keepers, thus-locking the door against weaving when it is fastened in closed position by engagement of the crank pins with the keepers.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is an elevational view of the end wall of a refrigerator automobile truck, provided with a pair of hinged doors, illustrating my improvements in connection therewith, said view being broken to accommodate the same. to the sheet of the drawing. Figure 2 is an enlarged elevational view of the structure shown in Figure 1 at the lower. left hand. end portion of the right hand door. Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view through the operating bar, corresponcling substantially. to the line 3-3 of Figure 2'. Figure 4 is a plan. view: of the lower keeper shown in Figure 2, said viewbeing on a still further enlarged scale. Figure 5 is a front elevational view of Figure 4. Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional view, on an enlarged scale, corresponding substantially to the line 6-45 of Figure 2, with the guide or bearing bracket omitted. Figure 7 is an elevational view, on an enlarged scale, of the lower end member of the rotary operating bar shown in Figure 1, looking from right to left. Figure 8 is a side elevational view of Figure '7'.

In said drawings, [0 indicates the rear wall member of a refrigerator automobile truck, provided with a door opening I I, closed by the usual pair of hinged doors l2 and I3. The doors l2 and is are supported along their outer edges by hinges Ill4 of well-known design. As is understood by those skilled in this art, the hinged doors I2 and [3 have beveled meeting edges, the edge of the door l2, which is the door last closed, overlapping the adjacent door l3.

My improved door fastener, as shown in the drawings, comprises broadly top and bottom keepers A and B, secured to the wall I0, a vertically disposed rotary operating bar C mounted on oneof the doors, top and bottom keeper engaging crank members DD, and an operating handle lever E for rotating the bar C.

ThekeepersA and B are of similar design, except as hereinafter pointed out. Each keeper is in the form of a heavy block provided with securing ear portions Iii-l5 at opposite sides thereof for fastening the same to the wall Iii. The keepers A and B are fixed to the wall it, above and below the doors in vertical alignment. Each keeper has an inwardly directed, outwardly opening cam slot 15. within which the corresponding keeper engaging crank member of the operating. bar is engageable. The cam. slot It is: defined by spaced, lateral side walls ll and I8 and a curved inner end wall l9, extending from one side wall to the other. The side walls of the slot ofv the lower keeper are upwardly inclined toward each other, as shown most clearly in Figure 5,

thus defining a slot of tapered transverse cross section, which contractsupwardly. The slot is of the upper keeperis reversely arranged, that is, the keeper is inverted. so that the slot is contracteddownwardly. The curved-end wall of. each keeper is also inclined, being directed inwardly with respect to the slot in upward direction in connection with the lower keeper and in downward direction. with the upper keeper. The curved end wall of the slot of each keeper is continuous: with the inclined side walls of each slot. The two keepers A and B are of the same design, but, as hereinbefore mentioned, are reversely arranged withrespect to each other, the top keeper A being inverted with respect to the bottom keeper B so that the slot l6 of the top keeper A opens downwardlyand that of the bottom keeper B opens upwardly.

The rotarybar C is preferably of rectangular, transverse cross section and has end members 2ll20 secured to the top and bottom end portions thereof, each end member being forked, as indicated at 2|, to embrace the bar C, and the end members are secured to the bar by fastening elements, such as rivets 2222, extending through the forked portions thereof.

Each end member 2|] has a keeper engaging crank member D formed at its outer end, comprising a crank arm 23 and a crank pin 24 at the free or outer end of said arm. The bar 0 is rotatably supported on the door l2 by bearing or guide brackets 2525, adjacent the top and bottom end portions of said door, and an intermediate guide bracket 26 secured to the outer side of the door. The end members 20-20 have cylindrical bearing portions in the form of short shafts 2'|--2'i journaled in the brackets 25-25, these shaftlike bearing portions being formed outwardly of the forked portions 2l-2l of the end members. The crank pin 24 of each crank member D is tapered toward its outer end, that is, it is of conical formation to' snugly fit the tapered slot :6 of the corresponding keeper when engaged therewith to hold the bar C against end- Wise movement in vertical direction. The crank pins 24-24 of the top and bottom crank members thus have wedging engagement within the slots of the keepers A and B to hold the bar C against vertical movement with respect to said keepers when the door has been forced to closed position by the fastener, thus locking the doors l2 and I3 against weaving.

The tapered keeper engaging crank pin 24 of each crank member is also provided with a relatively narrow, flat locking face section 28, which extends from the inner to the outer end thereof and is adapted to bear flatly on the outer wall I8 of the corresponding keeper when the door is in closed and locked position, thus preventing accidental rotary creeping of the crank pin.

The bar C is operated by the usual handle lever E which may be locked against movement by the usual latch means indicated by 29.

As is well known to those skilled in this art, to open and close the doors, the bar C is rotated by the handle lever E to cam the door l2 outwardly or inwardly through the action of the crank pins 2424 of the crank members DD within the slots I6l6 of the keepers. As the bar is rotated to open the door l2, the crank pins 2424 of the top and bottom crank members are disengaged from the cooperating keepers as the crank pins are leaving the keeper slots, thereby freeing the door 12 to be swung fully open. In rotating the bar C to fasten the door by engagement of the crank pins 2424 of the crank members DD within the slots of the top and bottom keepers, the crank pins, due to their tapered formation, wedge tightly into the corresponding tapered slots of the keepers, thereby locking the bar C against vertical displacement.

I claim:

1. In a fastener for a hinged door of a container, the combination with fixed top and bottom slotted keepers on said container above and below the door, the slots of said top and bottom keepers contracting, respectively, downwardly and upwardly; of a vertically disposed rotary operating bar on said door; and top and bottom keeper engaging members having crank pins engageable within the slots of said keepers, said crank pins being of tapered formation and having wedging engagement within the tapered slots of the keepers to hold said bar against vertical displacement when the fastener is in door locking position.

2. In a fastener for a hinged door of a container, the combination with fixed top and bottom keepers on said container above and below the door, each keeper having a cam slot, the slot of the top keeper being defined by downwardly converging spaced side walls, and the slot of the bottom keeper being defined by upwardly converging spaced side walls; of a vertically disposed rotary operating bar on said door; and top and bottom keeper engaging crank members on said bar having crank pins engageable within the slots of said keepers, said crank pins being tapered off toward their inner ends and having wedging engagement within the slots of said keepers to lock the bar against vertical displacement when the fastener is in door locking position.

3. In a fastener for a hinged door of a container, the combination with fixed top and bottom keepers on said container above and below the door, each of said keepers having an inclined cam slot defined by spaced lengthwise extending side walls, said side walls of the slot of the top keeper converging in downward direction and said side walls of the slot of the bottom keeper converging in upward direction; of a vertically disposed rotary operating bar on said door; and top and bottom crank members on said bar, each of said crank members including a radial arm REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,235,949 Shaw Mar. 25, 1941 2,298,259 Dunham Oct. 6, 1942 2,403,993 Nyhus July 16, 1946 

